Mount & Blade
So without further ado, here are 6 reasons why we can’t wait for Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord.
Sieges
Sieges in Mount & Blade: Warband weren’t the greatest, let’s be honest. We had a few different options to choose from but the bottomline was that there wasn’t enough variety in sieges, with each siege playing out the same as the one before it. It was more about brute force than anything else. However Bannerlord will revamp sieges completely by making them more strategic, giving players more freedom to choose how they wish to assault a castle or town as well as adding in actual tactics. There will be multiple entry points players can choose, meaning that you will no longer need pure brute force to win as well keeping each siege different.
This video belows offers a glimpse of the new sieges in Bannerlord.
Improved Combat and Battles
One of the best things about Warband was its huge battles and combat which on the whole, wasn’t too bad for a game of its size. While it wasn’t brilliant, it did the job. However we can’t wait to take part in more realistic battles. The revamped combat will link in nicely with the new sieges, however Taleworlds have promised that combat in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord will have “up-close and personal medieval combat on a huge scale” which will also be “bigger, bloodier and more intense than ever before”. Sounds awesome right?
Bartering and better NPC Interaction
One of the new features that Mount and Blade Bannerlord will bring is bartering. Bartering will be able to be done for a variety of different reasons, with trade being one of the main ones, however players will also be able to barter with enemies and other factions in order to secure peace treaties or release a prisoner, for example. The content of what you will be able to barter changes depending on who you are speaking to and the context of the situation, with Kings, Vassals and Traders all having different options to choose from.
Bartering is just one of many new features and revamps done with regards to how the player can interact with NPCs who play a huge role in the game.The AI will also barter amongst themselves making for a realistic and dynamic game world.
Graphics
It’s been over 5 years since Mount & Blade: Warband released and has therefore been showing its age for a few years now when it comes to graphics and how the game looks. One thing is for sure though, Bannerlord will graphically look much, much better than its predecessor which is a great thing, especially for an RPG as it can help you become even more immersed in the game. Just by looking at the screenshots and videos which have been released, you can see straight away the improvement when it comes to character models and textures, as well as animations and lighting.
Here’s a video by the developers highlighting the power the new engine which in turn allows Taleworlds to enhance the game graphically.
Bigger Map
The maps in Mount & Blade have always been fairly big, however Bannerlord’s world is said to be three times bigger than the one featured in Warband. However Bannerlord takes place 200 years before the events of Warband but is still set in Caldradia. That means that the map will have some of the same locations which players will be reconise, however the areas to the East and South have been expanded to include more regions for players to explore.
Not only is the map bigger and filled with more things to do, the information displayed on the map has also been improved, giving players more information about a settlement as well as the various parties which travel across Caldradia. These change dynamically as the game world progresses based upon a number of different factors. The map is where the majority of time is spent in Mount & Blade so it’s very welcome to see that its undergone some major improvements. The map ties all the components of the game together afterall, especially when it comes to economy and prosperity of settlements.
Seasons
One of the new features we are especially excited about is the introduction of seasons. Not only will the seasons change how the world looks graphically, but it will also have a major impact upon gameplay depending on whether it is spring, summer, autumn or winter. For starters, seasons will play a pivotal role when it comes to battles and campaigns you or your kingdom may embark upon. Waging war in the winter months for example will negatively effect the morale of your troops as well as increasing their demands for food and fuel. That in return means that players will have to plan their campaigns carefully to compensate for this. This is also the case for the AI, with other characters and kingdoms changing what they do depending on the season.
Here’s a video showing the changes to the world map as the seasons cycle.
There’s so much more about Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord which is getting us excited that we simply can’t write about it all, including weapon crafting, the new replay system, new diplomacy options as well as improved cities and villages.
Thankfully, we won’t have to wait too much longer for Bannerlord as the game is set to release at some point in 2016. You can keep up to date with the latest Bannerlord news via Taleworlds website here, as well as following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.
